{
  "id": 12149985,
  "title": "Russian officials say ‘situation under control’ after plague reports",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/russian-officials-say-situation-under-control-after-plague-reports",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-05T12:13:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/russian-officials-say-situation-under-control-after-plague-reports-2-1.500699022"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Moscow officials have downplayed reports of a laboratory technician's death from plague in Siberia, stating that the situation is under control. The death of 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the anti-plague institute in Irkutsk region, initially raised concerns. Reports suggested she may have contracted pneumonic plague from a broken test tube. However, Irkutsk regional governor Igor Kobzev revealed that a special commission found her death was due to \"pneumonia of undetermined etiology\". Tests by Russia's consumer and health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, confirmed no traces of plague-linked microorganisms in her biological samples. Kobzev assured that there were no new cases of staff from the institute falling ill since the woman's death, declaring the sanitary-epidemiological situation in Irkutsk stable. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged reliance on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor rather than rumors and speculation. Plague is a bacterial disease with several forms, with pneumonic plague being the most contagious and potentially fatal if not treated early.",
  "summary": "Moscow: Russian officials on Monday downplayed reports that a laboratory technician in Siberia had died of plague, insisting the situation was under control and that post-mortem tests had not found traces of the disease. Reports on Friday that a 28-year-old woman named Darya Shipilova, who had been working for the anti-plague institute in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, had died of plague sparked…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}